Then yesterday, incumbent 8th District Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack said that the best way for America to deal with the recent spate of mass shootings isn't gun control, but rather more guns, including guns in movie theaters.

Here's a transcript of Cravaack's remarks, followed by the video footage (courtesy of the Uptake):

Gary Eichten: [In wake of the Aurora and Accent Signage shootings,] do we need further restrictions on gun ownership?

Cravaack: Not one more law would've banned the tragedy that happened in Aurora and Minneapolis. One more law wouldn't have. But I tell you what would've. If there was another person in that audience that had a weapon that would've been able to protect themselves and their fellow audience members.

Cravaack's Democratic opponent, former Congressman Rick Nolan, didn't pounce upon Cravaack's remark, though he did say he supports a ban on assault weapons.

"I don't need an assault weapon to shoot a duck or a deer, and I don't want to see people walking into a movie theater and classrooms with assault rifles," Nolan said after the debate, adding that he "feels very, very strongly about 2nd Amendment rights so that people can have protection and have the opportunity to go hunting."

Cravaack, for what it's worth, said during the debate that "2nd Amendment rights aren't for going hunting -- 2nd Amendment rights is [sic] to have an armed citizenry."

Cravaack is 100% Right! Can't run from the real world of freaks. So it's best to be per-paired for a freak show down! FBI states today, Violent Crime is up 13-14% in America.. Lets see,, Cell Phone or Glock .45? Old Marky must not have any idea of just how many people or "Morons" as he calls them, are packing in his everyday life. Let me tell you Marky, If someone was shooting at you and a Moron had a gun and was shooting back trying to save your life, you would know that dialing 911 is stone age at that time! Also note, that Aurora movie hole had posted: NO GUNS ALLOWED at the front doors,, Maybe should of had them at the back door also??? Right!

@mingtran The movie was Batman, opening day midnight show. Adults don't go to that show dumbass. Do you want teenage boys having guns? Do you trust the decision making skills of the average 16 year old Batman fan? Besides freak, I don't like to bring my cell phone into a movie theatre, what dumbass freak wants to bring a gun?

@webcelt@mingtran Why shouldn't someone have either? I buy ammo by the 1000 round case. I shoot an average of 400 rounds every time I got to the range. It's cheaper. And when did someone ever, in the history of our country, use 1000s of rounds to carry out a shooting rampage? What do you, the uneducated, ignorant, bisexual city pages reader think is an acceptable amount of ammunition for one to own? Please enlighten us.

@MicheleBachmann : plenty of adults were there, Batman fans don't have to be kids. Backyard swimming pools kill more children than guns. Ban them too, freak. If you don't believe in protecting yourself, then don't. But don't outlaw others from protecting themselves.

@MicheleBachmann : plenty of adults were there, Batman fans don't have to be kids. Backyard swimming pools kill more children than guns. Ban them too, freak. If you don't believe in protecting yourself, then don't. But don't outlaw others from protecting themselves.

@MicheleBachmann@sheepdog : Finland has two guns per person, check their crime stats. Remember how you were proven wrong a while back about the UK crime stats you posted? UK crime is out of control because their "bobbies" don't even have guns, yet the criminals do. Michelle Bachmanns and the British are clearly some of the most aloof people in the world.

@MicheleBachmann Wow. Take deep breaths, lady. Given the millions and millions of guns in our country, you would think there would be more mass shootings. Hmm, I wonder why there isn't. Could it be that someone has to be incredibly deranged? Even more deranged that the average nut job? Probably. But hey, we should just ban guns anyway. Ban guns and only criminals will have them. That's a fact. You want a solution to shooting rampages? Be armed and ready to stop a rampage yourself. And I'm sorry, but gun bans don't mean less crime. Check out how it worked for Australia. http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17847 And let's not forget Timothy McVeigh. He was probably a little before your time. He didn't fire a single shot yet killed 168 people. What would you ban to prevent something like that?

@sheepdog To keep from tyranny? The government has nukes and drones dumbfuck. You going to shoot a drone down? You are a stupid child. Only psychopathic murders need guns like that. Regulate guns so its impossible or at least really hard to mass murder. If he had to reload after 2 shots maybe only 2 people die. You can't stop pyschopaths cause society is built on trust and lots of psycopaths get born. That's why you make it hard to murder. We have too many mass shootings. How many more kids have to die before you grow a fucking brain? How will you stop the psycho that targets kindergarten stupid? You want the 24 year old 100 lb teacher named Sunshine to shoot him? How about the 5 year olds stupid? You don't have a solution dumb fuck. Less guns less crime. That's the fact.

@MicheleBachmann What kind of freak brings a gun to a movie theater? Well, how about the One who shot 71 people in colorado? Seems like having a gun to defend yourself in that situation would come in pretty handy, don't you think? In fact, in light of recent events, carrying a gun in a movie theater seems like a wise thing to do, huh? As to why anyone needs a gun that can fire 50 rounds in a minute: self defense, sportshooting, hunting, and let us not forget the most important reason, to keep ourselves free from tyranny. Yes, they are weapons. Yes, they are capable of killing. And your point is…????

@sheepdog You are a psychopathic child who has idiotic and insane thoughts. What kind of freak wants to bring a gun to a movie theatre? Why does anyone need a gun that can fire 50 bullets in less than a minute? The only reason that gun exists is to kill people.

@webcelt@mark.gisleson@mingtran Yes, without a doubt. At the very least a shooter would draw his fire allowing others to escape. And he wasn't wearing body armor. He was wearing a "tactical vest" witch is just plain old nylon but with pockets. It's kind of like a photographer's vest. But hey, you are a clueless ostrich with your head stuck up your ass and no willingness to look at and accept the facts. And since you are so utterly ignorant, any semi automatic firearm in the hands of a trained shooter can fire 50 rounds in a minute. But you're right about the smoke. There was smoke. And it didn't stop the shooter from hitting his targets, did it? I think it's funny that you brought up arming teens. Nobody suggested such. Although many teens today don't have any problem getting their hands on firearms illegally and using them to take innocent lives. Imagine that. Armed teens. Another good reason to exercise your 2nd Amendment right. You have to be 21 to get a carry permit. Are you telling me there wasn't anyone in the audience over 21? Is that what you're saying? It is clear by your ridiculous arguments that you're grasping for straws in an attempt to justify your weak and irrational point of view. Even you know that an armed citizen can save lives, and not just their own. That's why you didn't respond regarding the recent mpls workplace shooting. Because even you know that if someone had been armed things would have turned out for the better.

@sheepdog@mingtran Dumbass the Aurora shooter set off smoke bombs and was wearing body armor. It was dark and late at night. He targeted a movie meant for teens and young adults. You want 19 year old college kids having guns? They never do anything stupid right? The shooter was a crazy person armed with an AR 15. What gun will you have that outshoots a man in body armor and a semi automatic rifle? He fired 50 shots in under a minute you idiots. Are you people insane? More guns doesn't help that situation. Dumbasses like you who refuse to think about reasonable gun control cause massacres like this. Why does anyone need a gun that can shoot 50 shots in a minute? You two idiots think you can outgun the government if they turn on the people? Should private citizens be allowed to have drones? nukes? tanks? Otherwise I don't see how you will spark the revolution and beat Seal Team 6 in a gun battle. Red Dawn is a fucking movie dumbass. Aurora is real life. You two nitwits would have been sitting in the movie theatre thinking "duh I hope da Batman movie is good hey does that weirdo have a gu-------ahhhh I'm shot and now dead" Fucking idiots. Grow up. You aren't GI Joe, you are two stupid losers who would crap your pants if you were getting shot at, like most people. American's don't need guns that can shoot 50 shots in a minute. Our shitty gun laws are why 13 years are accidently shooting 8 years in the inner city. Our shitty gun laws are why psychopaths can get an AR 15 and murder teenagers watching a fucking Batman movie. Our shitty gun laws are why Mexico is soaked in blood. Why can't we have guns that only shoot once or twice before needing to be reloaded? That's good for hunting. How about investigating why 12 year old children have Glocks and arresting the CEO of Glock for selling guns to kids or at least scumbags that sell guns to kids. How about guns that only fire when the gunowner's thumb print is on them? Dicks like you two idiots cause gun violence. The people that sell guns are scum. They protect criminals to make money. Guns make murder easy. They don't protect. England and many other civilized places don't have guns and they haven't been enslaved by the government.

@mark.gisleson@mingtran I'm a cc holder (just a carry permit here in MN, no legal requirement to conceal). I'm a much better shot than many of the cops I've met, and those are cops I've met at competitive shooting events. Most cops simply don't train other than the minimum required by their departments. I think you can say without a doubt that someone returning fire in the theater would have saved lives, especially given the position of the shooter (in a corner of the theater, not in the middle of the crowd). How about the recent workplace shooting in Minneapolis? You think a permit holder would have increased the body count there, too? We certainly knows what happens when people aren't armed, don't we?

@mark.gisleson : you're scary. At least you admit government runs your life better than you can. If you want to give up and die, that's your prerogative. But fighting to legislate that which makes us less safe doesn't make any sense. Fascism at its finest.

@webcelt@sheepdog@MicheleBachmann Labeling people who don't subscribe to your point of view as unstable doesn't make them so. If that's all you have to say in support of your argument, I take comfort knowing that my right to buy guns and ammunition is safe and sound.

@MicheleBachmann I get mad every day. And I'm armed every day. And yet I've never shot anyone. How is that possible? I am a decent, stable human being who knows right from wrong. Because I, like 99.99% of other gun owners, am a responsible citizen who takes my right to bear arms seriously. I'm sorry if exercising my freedom makes you uncomfortable. You'll just have to learn to live with it.

@mark.gisleson @sheepdog @mingtran @MicheleBachmann :google it. Clinton admin released one around 2000 which included suicides, gangsters, and "children" as old as 20 (I remember that one, did a report on it in school). Beware the sample.

@sheepdog@mingtran@MicheleBachmann Thanks for that link. OK, children are 10 or younger. Now that makes sense. Throw teenagers into that mix and the numbers would change radically. I don't suppose you have any stats for the 11-17 crowd, few of whom I'm guessing fall into swimming pools and drown, but all of whom are much more likely to be subjected to gun violence?

@MicheleBachmann Uh, did you read what you just posted? "My goal is not to promote guns, but rather, to focus parents on an even greater threat to their children..."

People don't need a guns? Says who? Says you? Fuck you. You're a victim. Your bovine mentality may suit you, but I'll take care of myself and my own. You have a hard time grasping that a human being has a god given right to defend himself. They're weapons, they kill. You may prefer to die than defend yourself, but not me.

@sheepdog "Don’t get me wrong. My goal is not to promote guns, but rather, to focus parents on an even greater threat to their children. People are well aware of the danger of guns and, by and large, gun owners take the appropriate steps to keep guns away from children. Public attitudes towards pools, however, are much more cavalier because people simply do not know the facts."

I didn't need google to figure out you are an idiot who didn't even bother to read what you posted. The purpose of a pool is excerise and fun. The purpose of a gun is to hunt animals or murder humans. No one needs a gun that can shoot 50 bullets in a minute unless they want to kill a bunch of humans. Hunters get one shot, two if they are amazingly lucky. They don't need 50.

@mingtran@MicheleBachmann 8,775 Americans died from gunfire in 2010. There are an average of 3,533 total drownings a year in the U.S., and that includes lakes and rivers. Please cite your source for saying that swimming pools kill more kids than guns because the actual numbers seem to say otherwise. Sorry, I couldn't find a chart that broke down these deaths by age, so please show me yours. And then we can discuss the difference between accidental drownings and murder by gun.

@MicheleBachmann : You are so stupid it is amazing. An armed person could potentially stop a psychopath in any of those instances. Many semi-autos can shoot 50 rounds a minute, so what? You don't know anything about anything. Go troll teen forums.

@mingtran You are so stupid it is amazing. What would stop a guy from shooting up a hospital? An old folk's home? A K-6 school? A psychopath could target a likely unarmed populace. Carrying guns just makes idiots with tiny penises feel good, it doesn't solve a problem. We need strict gun laws and regulations. If you don't want to ban guns then tell me why anyone needs a gun that shoots 50 bullets in a minute? Use your brain once in your life. Stupid people like you are killing people.